Hennebique and After: Concrete in Belgium, 1890-2020
The exhibition Hennebique and After: Concrete in Belgium 1890-2020 in the Vandehove Centre for Architecture and Arts (Ghent) showcased the results of an ongoing discovery in the field of construction history by students for four consecutive years. Their analyses (short essays, digital models, 3-D printed scale models, and virtual reality presentations) of around 75 constructions serve to outline the development of building in concrete in Belgium, from 1890 onwards. The exhibition does not aspire the complete story of (reinforced) concrete in Belgium, but instead highlights a variety of programmatic and constructional typologies: well-known as well as anonymous cases, preserved as well as destroyed constructions are included.
Together with the physical exhibition and the exhibition catalogue, a virtual exhibition project was developed. The latter is formatted as a virtual tour that complements the temporary exhibition in Vandenhove and serves as its more permanent trace. It allows the visitor to interactively browse a selection of projects that can also be visited in an immersive 3-D environment.
Noteworthy is the virtual model of the 1968 Gillet house, an organically shaped concrete house in Angleur, near Liège. It was digitally modelled with the help of photogrammetric reconstruction software that, for the first time, offers a comprehensive insight into its intricate layout.
This project was realised in partnership with FEBELCEM – Federation of the Belgian Cement Industry, with additional support from Peri, GAR Archives d’Architecture, Bureau Bouwtechniek, Boydens Engineering, and UTIL Structural Studies.
Project Info
Research group: Theory and History of Architecture and Digital Design
Start Date: from 24-09-2021 to 23-10-2021
Researchers: Willem Bekers, Ronald De Meyer and Emiel De Kooning